>> Cathy: BIG SPORTS WEEKEND ON THE HORIZON.

VIKINGS SEASON OPENER AT HOME AGAINST TAMPA, TWINS START A SIX-GAME HOME STAND TONIGHT AS THEIR MAGIC NUMBER STANDS AT 16, AND THE GOPHER FOOTBALL TEAM IS HOSTING EASTERN MICHIGAN.

WE HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED THE LYNX CLINCHING A PLAYOFF SPOT AND THE FIRST SIGNINGS BY THE NEW MINNESOTA PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM.

WE'VE BROUGHT LARRY FITZGERALD SR. BACK FOR ANOTHER VISIT.

WHEN HE'S NOT JOINING US ON ALMANAC, YOU CAN HEAR HIS RADIO WORK ON THE NATIONAL PROGRAMMING NETWORK.

WELL, FITZY, GEE, THE VIKES DIDN'T WIN A PRESEASON GAME, THAT IS NOT A GREAT START.

>> ON THE SURFACE, BUT NONE OF THE STARTERS PLAYED, SO THAT'S WHAT THE COACHES ARE BASICALLY UTILIZING AS A LET'S NOT GET TOO EXCITED, YOU KNOW, THAT TYPE OF THING.

LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS ONCE THE REGULAR SEASON STARTS.

BUT THEY NEED TO FIND A WAY TO ESTABLISH SOME SUPREMACY AT HOME.

THEY'VE GOT 17 GAMES AND ONLY 8 AT HOME, YOU KNOW, SO THE EXTRA ROAD GAME BEING NUMBER 9 TELLS YOU THAT IT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR THEM.

THEY GOT ONE OF THE TOUGHEST SCHEDULES IN THE NFL, WHEN YOU - GOT TO PLAY SUPER BOWL CHAMPION KANSAS CITY, PHILADELPHIA ON THURSDAY NIGHT, GOT TO TURN AROUND AND THEN YOU GOT TO PLAY CINCINNATI.

DID YOU HEAR JOE BURROW GOT 219 MILLION GUARANTEED?

AND THEN YOU GOT TO PLAY ALL THE OTHER TEAMS IN THE NFC NORTH, HOW GOOD IS GREEN BAY, HOW GOOD IS CHICAGO, YOU KNOW?

>> Eric: WHAT ABOUT THE LIONS?

>> WELL, WE SEE THE LIONS THEY FINISHED LAST YEAR HOT, THEY WERE 8-2 AND THEY CARRIED THAT OBVIOUSLY INTO THE REGULAR SEASON.

>> Eric: BYRON BUXTON, WHAT THE HECK?

>> WELL, HE'S BEEN OUT FOR OVER A MONTH NOW AND THE TWINS ARE OBVIOUSLY BEING VERY CAUTIOUS AND MAKING CERTAIN THAT HE'S PHYSICALLY READY BEFORE THEY ACTIVATE THEM BECAUSE THEY WANT HIM IN GAMES THAT REALLY MATTER FOR THEM.

NOT ASSUMING THAT THEY'RE IN THE PLAYOFFS BUT YOU WOULD THINK THEY'RE GOING TO GET THERE, THEY'RE 6 AND A HALF UP AS YOU MENTIONED 16 GAMES LEFT, AND THE METROPOLITANS ARE IN TOWN AND I DON'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THE METS WERE HERE, BUT THEY'RE NOT A GOOD BASEBALL TEAM THIS YEAR, SO THE TWINS ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

I THINK THEY'VE GOT THE GREAT ESTABLISHMENT OF STARTING PITCHING, AND THEY HAVE A HISTORY FORMULA THAT LETS THEM KNOW THEY'VE GOT TWO GREAT STARTERS, WHICH THEY HAD IN '87 AND '91, THEY CAN GO WIN CHAMPIONSHIP IF THEY'VE GOT THE BATS.

AND ROYCE LEWIS MIGHT BE THAT BAT.

>> Cathy: OH, HE'S AMAZING.

GETTING BACK TO BYRON BUXTON FOR A OMENT.

REALLY GOOD PLAYER, THIS IS A NON-SPORTS FAN KIND OF QUESTION I SUPPOSE.

IS IT UNUSUAL TO HAVE AN ATHLETE BE SO FRAGILE PHYSICALLY?

>> WOW, THAT'S A UNIQUE QUESTION.

HE'S BEEN HURT A LOT.

I DON'T CARE WHAT IT IS, IT'S BEEN SOMETHING AND CERTAINLY THIS YEAR IT'S BEEN A MUSCLE ISSUE AND I'VE NEVER HEARD OF A PLAYER PLAYING AN ENTIRE YEAR AS A DESIGNATED HITTER WHO WAS AN ALL-STAR AS A CENTERFIELDER DEFENSIVELY, HE'D CLIMB THE WALLS UP TO CATCH THE BALL AND HE HASN'T HAD A CHANCE ALL YEAR.

BUT THEY BELIEVE HE'S GOING TO BE PHYSICALLY READY WHEN THEY GO AND PLAY THOSE FIRST THREE GAMES IF THEY'RE IN THE PLAYOFFS AT TARGET FIELD AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET AN ESTABLISHMENT OF BEING ABLE TO SAY, HEY, WE CAN WIN AT HOME.

>> Cathy: WELL, LET'S HOPE SO BECAUSE WE NEVER -- WHAT WAS IT, WE HAVEN'T WON A PLAYOFF GAME.

>> Eric: 18 STRAIGHT.

>> 18 STRAIGHT PLAYOFF GAME LOSSES.

>> Cathy: THAT'S RIDICULOUS.

>> IT'S TERRIBLE, IT'S THE WORST IN BASEBALL HISTORY.

>> Eric: TELL US ABOUT THE GOPHERS' ABILITY TO PLAY ON THE NATIONAL SCENE, MEN'S OR WOMEN'S, WITH THIS NATIONAL IMAGE AND LIKENESS PAYING MONEY TO PLAYERS OVER THE TABLE, ALL LEGAL, CAN WE RAISE ENOUGH MONEY TO PLAY WITH THE BIG BOYS?

>> MINNESOTA CERTAINLY, ALL THESE FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES HERE IN TOWN.

>> Eric: THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE TEPPING UP.

>> I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE UNIVERSITY IS DOING, WHAT FORMULA THEY'RE USING, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF ATHLETES WALK AWAY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA IN RECENT YEARS SINCE THIS NIL AND PLAYERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO SAY, HEY, I WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND THEY'RE ABLE TO MAKE THAT CHOICE AND THE GOPHERS LOST A BASKETBALL PLAYER WHO SAID HE WAS GOING TO THE NBA.

GUESS WHAT?

HE'S AT OHIO STATE BECAUSE OF MONEY.

>> Eric: DO WE KNOW WHAT HE MADE?

>> I DON'T KNOW, BUT I HEARD IT'S OVER 250,000 A YEAR.

>> Eric: ALL LEGAL.

>> YEAH, WELL, THAT'S THE NEW DAY AND AGE OF NILs AND TRANSFER PORTALS AND, HEY, THE QUARTERBACK WHO WON THE HEISMAN TROPHY, CALEB WILLIAMS AT USC, HE'S MAKING 2.5 MILLION.

>> Cathy: WHAT?

>> SO IF YOU CAN GET IT AND THAT'S THE DEAL THAT'S WHY PEOPLE IN TEXAS ARE PLAYING WITH GEORGIA AND ALABAMA BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF OIL MONEY IN TEXAS IN THOSE GUYS ARE SPREADING IT AROUND.

>> Cathy: CAN THE GOPHERS WIN AGAINST ICHIGAN BY THE WAY?

>> ABSOLUTELY, I WOULD EXPECT THEM TO WIN QUITE HANDILY, THAT'S THE VIEW.

I THINK THE GOPHERS ARE BETTER THAN SOME PEOPLE THINK, THEY MADE PEOPLE SWEAT IT OUT TO BEAT NEBRASKA BUT THEY GOT IT DONE AND I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT INITIATIVE AND THAT EXTRA TIME TO O AND KNOCK OFF EASTERN MICHIGAN.

>> Eric: YOU LITERALLY CAN THROW OUT THE RECORD BOOK WHEN THE GOPHERS AND EASTERN MICHIGAN MEET, TWO EAMS THAT JUST DON'T LIKE EACH OTHER.

>> WELL, WE'RE GOING TO SEE, I THINK THE GOPHERS ARE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AND GET TO 2-0.

>>